Are you tired of that one jacket in the back of your closet? Is there a shirt you never want to wear again? Worn-out shoes? Don’t throw them away! Donate them to a local thrift store. 

Donating clothes instead of throwing them away reduces greenhouse gases. Luckily a lot of clothing is made of organic materials. This means it is biodegradable and has natural sources. 

In a Planet Aid article they said, “Landfills lack the oxygen needed for organic materials to break down so, when clothing does end up in a landfill, it decomposes through anaerobic digestion.” 

This creates the emission of dangerous greenhouse gases, which in a landfill, are largely uncontrolled. This ends up escaping into the atmosphere, which accelerates climate change.

Planet Aid said, “Recycling 100 million pounds of clothes has an effect on the environment equivalent to removing 26,000-35,000 cars from the road.”

Landfills are very expensive to own and just as expensive to operate. Keeping clothes out of landfills takes the cost down for other projects. Donating clothes saves energy and money.

Planet Aid said, “Every year, 12 million tons of clothing ends up in landfills where they take up a massive amount of very expensive space.” 

Energy is also used when producing those clothes. The complex manufacturing process that the clothes go through can use up a lot of water and electricity.

When you donate your clothes to a thrift store they mark the price down. Usually, it can be a huge markdown. This makes it easier for people to have nice clothes when they don’t have enough money. If you donate to a certain organization, like Planet Aid or Green Drop, they will send help to other organizations like The American Red Cross.